I drive
80km per day to go to work and back home. Five days a week. That’s 400km a week
or –with holidays subtracted- more than 18000km a year. And I’m not alone!
There are a lot of people commuting between home and work by car. It’s actually
a problem that has triggered every political organ to come up with solutions.
And while in fact, the solution is as simple as 1 +1 = 2, nothing changes. At
least not in the right direction. As simple as 1 + 1 you say? Yes!
Let’s quickly
analyze…
The problem is there are too many cars causing traffic jams, pollution,
increase of cancer etc.
While I really like cars -they are examples of beautiful innovation- I’m probably not making many friends by saying
this, but there are too many cars on the road.
While our government
is increasing taxes for everyone who owns a car, I think they aren’t really
trying hard enough to change things. What we need is a change of culture. The habit
of getting in the car, drive to work for an hour or longer and back home 8 or 9
hours later must be broken. By just making it more expensive, people aren’t
going to change. They will moan and complain, but will just pay the extra taxes
and continue to use the car.
The solution
So the
solution is to reduce the amount of driving cars. Less cars on the road is less
of the above, but more importantly: more space for other, healthier and cheaper
transportation methods. There are many things the government can do to change
things, but I will not elaborate on those. Instead, I think the best thing I
can do to change things is to change myself and hopefully others will follow.
The perfect
way for me to do this is by going to work by bike.
Excuses
I’m
convinced that if this didn’t take quite some mental preparation (and for some,
physical training as well), a lot more people would leave the car at home and
go to work by bike. So the actual problem is motivation. Sure, there are plenty
of excuses to be made: it’s too far, I don’t have the time, it’s too cold, I
need to fix my bike, or I’m too tired, too old, too this or too that. These are all excuses we can do something
about ourselves. Why wouldn’t you go to work by bike? Address those reasons and
try to find a solution. Maybe there are no showers in your office building or
no space to change clothing? Is your company willing to invest in better
accommodation? Does the problem begin with you? Do you think it’s too much
hassle? Perhaps you think you have nothing to gain by going to work by bike.
One excuse
that I have to agree with is that it’s quite dangerous.
This is where the government has a true obligation towards their citizens in my
opinion. The first change that must occur is improving the infrastructure. We
urgently need infrastructure that ensures a safer way to cycle. Better cycling
paths, preferably separated from the road, are mandatory. Asphalt is the best
type of road for cycling, yet I have to ride on roads where the cycling paths
are in such a poor condition you need to focus not to fall. Cemented or tiled
cycling paths are not the way to go because they are unstable and cause
cavities or cracks that are dangerous.
Cycling
paths also need to be clean, so people are motivated to use it instead of
riding on the road. A clean cycling path invites the cyclist to use it. He/she
will feel like the community is pampering him/her. I went to work by bike twice this week and I
had 2 punctured tires. The amount of debris on cycling paths is ridiculous.
Small stones, glass, nails, leafs, tree branches, mud and what not are spread
all over each cycling path I use these days. As soon as you leave the cycling
path to save your tires, you will have car drivers honking their horn, driving
very close to you as they pass you or even deliberately block your way, because
they feel no cyclist should be on the road. Surely, this cannot possibly be the
standard? I’ve not really had a discussion with a car driver yet as a cyclist,
but I plan to suggest them to take the bike as well. Then there will be plenty
of space on the road for both of us. And guess what? No pollution and a lot
less pollution on the road.
On top of
that, I should mention that when you plan to cycle to work, you should really
always wear a helmet, reflective clothing and have plenty of lights. It’s
better to be considered a Christmas tree, then not to be seen at all. If you’re
not seen, you will end up in a hospital or worse sooner or later.
Still, all
of this doesn’t bring me down, here’s why:
The
advantages
It’s 35km single way to work from where I live, and there’s a lot of climbing
to do, so it takes me about 90 minutes to get to work, but fortunately we have
showers at work. When I arrive at my desk, I am in a different modus than when
I ‘ve taken the car. I have more energy, I work faster and more accurately.
Also, when
I get home around 5:30 or 6 pm, I’ve had 3hours of exercising already and I
still have my evening to do whatever I want.
Last but
not least, by cycling once or twice a week to work, I save money, I lose weight, and in the end I feel much fitter.
Investing in
a better future
So because
I did so well this year already (+2500km, not that much for the experienced
cyclist, but it was my first year after 6 years of inactivity), and because my
old bike was in need of repairs, I bought myself a new bike. Thompson is a Belgian brand. They make beautiful bicycles. I can highly
recommend them. Here’s a picture of my new alu horse. It’s the best investment
I made this year!
Take look at that lovely logo! Don't you love this kind of lettering? I sure do!
